In my first airline - which operated four different types of aircraft - every time we did a new type rating; at some point during the ground-school the instructor would take us to the hangar or the ramp and deploy the flaps and open all the maintenance doors etc. and show us around the aircraft, pointing out all the parts of the aircraft we had been studying and what to look for on a walk around.
In my second airline, (which flies Airbus FBW), this was NEVER done, and continues NOT to be done, despite my pointing it out. They just rely on the written explanation in the manuals as to what to look for on a walk around. No pictures or diagrams mind you - just the written word. After this BA incident, we had a flurry of aircrew notices with - wonder of wonders - a photograph of the cowl locks !! Hallelujah !
Amazing. Have they all forgotten the Potomac river crash, where a walk around was not done because the pilots didn't want to get cold in the snow, (poor lambs) so they didn't know that their P1 probes were blocked with snow, which resulted in too little power from the engines on take-off and the subsequent horrific crash into the ice covered Potomac river?
It is a very simple matter when looking at an Airbus engine, to crouch down, put one hand on the ground to look underneath at the cowl locks. Yes, if it is raining, you will get a wet, and possibly cold hand, but is that really such a problem in the grand scheme of things?
I had to wave at and stop a Cessna 172 taxying at an airfield many years ago - it was taxying with the wing tie down weights STILL TIED TO THE WINGS AND DRAGGING ALONG THE GROUND. I kid you not.
Walk arounds are important folks. Once airborne, you can't pull into a layby and get out to sort the problem.
PS: Airbus state that PM does the walkaround.
Last edited by Uplinker; 20th Jul 2015 at 10:58.
Reason: Spelling of Hallelujah!